


Choose Me Instead

by mac_andcheeses



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M, i have a problem ok, jolex, yes i'm still writing pregnancy fics to try and fix this mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:02:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28766034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mac_andcheeses/pseuds/mac_andcheeses
Summary: New MiniseriesJo is in Kansas to deliver the divorce papers back to Alex herself
Relationships: Alex Karev & Jo Wilson, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 52





	1. The Divorce Papers

**Author's Note:**

> i take no responsibility for this fic...i don't know what it is. i had a thought and it spiralled. 
> 
> also apologies in advance because i have once again split it into two parts

She wishes it had not come to this, that she hadn’t been forced to fly thousands of miles across the country just to get the man she loved to listen to her. But Alex needed to hear what she had to say, he owed her that much. The problem was getting him to listen. 

The days leading up to when his letter arrived had been extremely painful for Jo. All of the unknowns and the what ifs had consumed her with so much anxiety. She thought she’d feel better once she knew the truth, got some real answers about his absence, but she didn’t. The anxiety that had been overwhelming her every move was terrible, but it was nothing compared to the betrayal she was feeling now. To know that she was crying for him, begging for him to come back to her and just hold her one more time again, all whilst he was playing happy families with his ex-wife the whole time. It was paralysing. And yet, what she was about to do was worse. 

“I’m so so very sorry to keep you waiting, I was having some trouble tracking the chief down but he should be on his way shortly. Are you already familiar with the case?” the nervous intern who’d greeted her that morning returned. 

“I am,” Jo offered a calming smile, although, overwhelmed with her own anxieties about seeing Alex again, kept her gaze at her feet. 

“Is it common at your hospital for an attending to retrieve the organ?” Jo heard the intern speak again. “It’s just, here at this hospital, it’s mostly always a resident. I wasn’t expecting the surgical attendant on the case to turn up.”

It’s true, under normal circumstances; Jo would have been the last person you’d expect to have volunteered herself for an organ retrieval. However, these weren’t normal circumstances. 

“I insisted,” Jo fiddled with her fingers nervously. “I was due a visit to this hospital.” 

“How far along are you?” the intern changed the topic, sensing there was a lot more to the story. However, what he did not know was that he’d hit a much more complicated set of problems. 

She was about to respond and ask the intern how he could possibly know about a pregnancy she’d only just found out about herself. Jo would be lying to herself if she thought her body didn’t change slightly in the past few weeks, but there were no changes yet that couldn’t be blamed on the extra bit of stress in her life and a lack of sleep. Her baby bump was yet to show itself through her clothing. However, before she got the chance to talk, another voice silenced her thoughts. A familiar voice.  _ His _ voice. 

“Sorry I can’t stay long, busy day and all, but I’ve got all of the forms signed for you to take with you and I’ve already paged someone to-” he paused. 

His voice was heart wrenching to hear again, nauseating even. However, what was worse than listening to him speak, was feeling the tension in the room when he stopped. It swallowed her whole. Alex had noticed her; her presence was known, and he was now speaking to her directly. 

“Jo?” he stared at her in shock. 

“Oh, um, it’s Doctor Wilson, Chief,” the intern corrected. 

“Give us a moment, please,” Alex shut the door behind the young doctor who scurried out fast. 

“You went back to Wilson?” he asked, sadly. 

“That depends,” Jo stood up from the long conference table she had been sitting at, her body finally relaxing enough to let her move. “It depends on whether or not you file these,” she walked to Alex’s side, placing a large paper brown envelope into his hands. 

“Are these-um-are-are-these,” he stuttered, “Jo, are these what I think they are?” 

“If what you think they are is the divorce papers you cowardly sent me in the mail all those weeks ago after you up and left me out of the blue, well then yes Alex, yes they are,” she stared back, deadpanned, trying not to let any of her true emotions show. He didn’t get to know how much he’d broken her. 

“I already signed them,” he furrowed his brow, confused. “I don’t understand?” 

Jo turned away from him momentarily, avoiding his gaze as she fought back tears threatening to fall. “I’ve signed them too, like you asked me to, I did it for you. But I’m not filing them. I’m not being the one to end this marriage, Alex Karev.” 

“You signed them?” he sounded hurt. 

“What choice did I have?” Jo spat, choking back a couple of tears she’d lost the fight to. “You left, you don’t want to be my husband anymore. Did you think I was just going to throw the papers out and stay married to you for the rest of my life?” 

“No, that’s not what I meant. I know I asked you to sign them. It just all feels so wrong to think about,” Alex ran a hand through his hair. “I hate that this is how we end.” 

“Am I supposed to feel bad for you?” Jo glared back furiously. “This didn’t have to happen; you didn’t need to send me those papers. You’re my husband, Alex, and I am your wife, so what we needed to do was communicate. We first became friends because of our screwed up childhoods, it’s what we first bonded over. So did you really think for a second that I wouldn’t share your desire to give your children the perfect lives? Because if so, if you really thought that I wouldn’t be there for you, then you really are just as stupid as everyone tried to warn me about all those years ago.” 

“You didn’t deserve to be burdened with that. You deserve so much more than that, Jo.” 

  
  


“No, what I deserved was to make that choice for myself. I deserved to be included in the decision about whether or not my marriage ended. I deserved for my many many phone calls to be returned, to be told the truth about where you were going. I deserved to not be made to feel like our entire relationship was a lie.” 

“Please don’t say that-” Alex started to argue her words but felt the door open into his side, pushing him forward. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the same intern from before reappeared, “but Doctor Wilson is needed in OR 5.” 

“Give us five more minutes,” Alex ordered. 

“No, we don’t need any more time. We’ve finished talking,” Jo spoke louder. “I’ll come with you right now,” she smiled at the intern, collecting her things from the floor. 

“What do you want me to do with these?” Alex held the divorce papers out in Jo’s view. 

“File them, if that’s what you want. I can do this alone.” 

And with those last words, Jo left. 

  
  


***

Alex was grateful for the back to back surgeries filling his schedule for the rest of the day. There was a reason he’d acted so cowardly; sent Jo the divorce papers in the mail instead of talking to her in person. He was afraid that he would never be able to walk away if he saw her again. But, with such a busy day ahead in Kansas, he didn’t have a choice this time but to let her go. 

He tried to tell himself it was for the better, that it was the only way to be the best father he could possibly be to Eli and Alexis. But, he can't help but wonder if he’d been wrong all along.  _ What if leaving Seattle was a mistake?  _

“Knock, knock,” Izzie’s voice stirred him from his thoughts.

Alex was confused by the blonde's unexpected visit. “What’s going on, Izzie?” 

“Oh don’t worry, nothing bad” Izzie sat down in the seat opposite his desk. “I just wanted to talk to you about a potential change to the custody schedule.” 

“I don’t want to lose any days,” Alex immediately got defensive. 

“No, no one will be losing any hours. I’m just changing my hours at work because I got an offer out of state, closer to where my mom lives. They need me there a few days a week. I couldn’t do it before when it was just the twins and me because I had nobody to watch them but now that you’re here, now that you’re in Kansas, I can go see my mom every now and then,” Izzie explained. 

“Oh, yeah I’m sure we can work something out,” Alex shrugged. “I’ll talk to you about it at next drop off.” 

“Thanks Alex,” Izzie smiled appreciatively as she exited the room. 

He was about to head off and call it a day himself when he spotted the divorce papers sticking out of the drawer he’d shoved them inside of earlier. He didn’t blame Jo for not wanting to be the one to file them, it was breaking his heart at the thought of reading them again. He didn’t want it to be official. He didn’t want his marriage to be over. 

Alex decided against opening the papers up fully for a further investigation; there was no reason to doubt that Jo wasn’t telling the truth about signing them. And it would save him the heartache of seeing her signature next to his. However, as a small square photograph fell from the inside of the envelope, he quickly realised that there was more to the story than he’d originally thought. Her last words ‘I can do this alone’ suddenly made sense. She’d brought him an ultrasound photo, a picture of their child; Jo was pregnant. 

  
  



	2. Back in Seattle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex knows that Jo is pregnant and is back in Seattle to win her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so mac is fucking useless and couldn’t finish this fic up in the original two parts she had planned so it’s now a miniseries instead of a two-parter. 
> 
> enjoy the update though xoxo

“How was Kansas?” Meredith grinned smugly, enjoying herself way too much as she eyed down her co-worker. 

“What?” Jo deflected, collapsing on the couch beside her. She’d arrived back in Seattle less than twenty-four hours previously and so, with no one but Bailey knowing where she had been, Meredith's line of questioning came rather unexpectedly. 

“You went to Kansas, right?” Meredith clarified. “That must have been where you went.” 

Jo sighed at Meredith’s words, desperate to avoid answering them. “What makes you think that?” 

“Alex is here,” Meredith said, placing a comforting hand on Jo’s knee. “You disappear for a day on an organ procurement and then out of nowhere, at four o’clock in the morning I might add, Alex shows up in my OR gallery looking for you. Are you seriously telling me that his reappearance has nothing to do with you?” 

“Alex is here?” Jo repeated, nervously. “At the hospital?” 

Meredith nodded sympathetically, “so he isn’t here for you?” 

“I didn’t ask him to come,” Jo fiddled nervously with her jacket sleeve. 

“But you saw him? You went to Kansas and spoke to Alex” Meredith confirmed her suspicions. “Whatever you said must have worked, because he was back in less than a day.” 

“It’s not like that,” Jo huffed. “I went there to give him the divorce papers back so that he could file them.” 

“And you couldn’t file them yourself from here?” Meredith tilted her head, curiously. 

“No Meredith, I couldn’t. I didn’t want to file the papers myself because, believe it or not, I wasn’t exactly keen on being the one responsible for ending our marriage.” 

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why he’s suddenly back in Seattle,” Meredith integrated further. 

“I’ve got to check on a patient,” Jo stood up frantically, leaving Meredith alone in the attending lounge shouting more questions at her. 

Ever since she’d received the positive pregnancy result, from the second the words appeared on the stick, Jo had known that Alex would want to be there for her and the baby in some way or another. But that was it, that was all she’d been sure about it. Jo didn’t know if Alex would want to move back to Seattle or not. However, with his apparent return, she figured she was about to find out exactly what he planned to do. 

Her palms were clamming up at the possibility of running into Alex at any given moment. It was the last thing she needed right now. All Jo wanted to be thinking about was getting through the last few hours of her shift so that she could go home and order in a takeaway. But, with news that Alex was back, he was now taking up all her headspace. 

She hadn’t even had the chance to rehearse what she would say to him yet when her eyes fell on his stupid puppy dog face. Only a day since they’d last seen each other, and minutes after her conversation with Meredith, Jo saw Alex rocking back and forth on his feet in one of the tunnels. 

“Hey,” he spoke softly. 

“What are you doing here, Alex?” she glared back at him. 

“We need to talk-” he started to explain. 

“No, what are you doing here?” Jo asked again. “Why are you at my work? Why are you in the tunnels of all places?” 

“Because I know you, Jo. Like it or not, I’m married to you. I knew full well that you’d avoid the hallways as soon as you found out that I was back,” Alex sat on the gurney beside him, gesturing for Jo to join him. “Can we just talk, please?” 

“So we’re still married?” Jo said, taken back. “I expected you to file those papers straight away.” 

“Let’s talk,” Alex tried again. 

Figuring it was easier to answer whatever questions he had so that she could get on with her day, Jo sunk into the spot on the gurney beside him. “Fine.” 

Noticing an all too familiar grin on his face, the one he used when he proved someone wrong or nailed a complicated surgery, Jo instinctively smacked him across the chest. 

“Ow,” Alex’s face dropped. “What the hell was that for?” 

“What the hell was that grin for?” Jo retorted. 

“I was just thinking,” Alex smirked, “I finally knocked you up. We’ve never exactly been careful, we’re both terrible at remembering any and all forms of birth control, and yet you don’t get pregnant until...well, until now. If that’s not our dumb luck then I don’t know what is.” 

“Seriously?” Jo grumbled, rather unimpressed with the cheerful look he had slapped across his face. “I don’t have time for this,” she huffed, once again walking away as she had done with Meredith earlier. 

“Jo, wait!” he called after her, but was too late as she quickly disappeared onto an elevator. 

  
  


*******

Alex had been at the hospital every day that week, chasing Jo around every chance he got, begging her to talk with him for just a minute or two. 

“Talk to the man,” Meredith interrupted Jo’s thoughts, creeping up on her at the nurses station. 

“Who?” Jo looked around for a patient in need. 

“What do you mean ‘who’ ?” Meredith rolled her eyes, impatiently. “I’m talking about Alex; I obviously mean Alex. You know, the man that turned up at the hospital seven days ago but hasn’t left since. Brown hair, short scruffy beard, wonky grin, oh and he’s deeply in love with you. Does any of that ring a bell? 

“I tried talking to him, but he decided to act like an idiot so I left. I’m a busy person, Meredith, I don’t have time to put up with his shit,” Jo slammed her pile of notes down on the counter. 

“What if I promise to keep ‘my shit’ to a minimum,” Alex’s voice sounded from behind. 

“Great. Just great,” Jo said through her teeth. “Do you ever leave or do you just hide behind every corner of this place until you find me?” 

“I'm just getting back, actually. I’ve been at Mer’s all morning,” Alex said a bit too proudly, pissing Jo off more.

“Yes, he has. Which is why I’ll say again, please talk to the man because he’s getting incredibly annoying to have around,” Meredith pleaded. 

Jo crossed her arms across her chest frustratingly, “we have nothing to talk about, so please, would you just let me work?” 

“Okay, enough you two,” Meredith dragged both Alex and Jo into a nearby on-call room. “Talk, right now. Have a conversation about whatever it is that you both need to get off your chests and stop this little goose chase” she ordered. 

“I want to be there for you,” Alex started them off. 

“Stop, please. Just stop talking,” Jo begged. 

“I want to be there for you, Jo. And I want to be there for our baby,” he shot her the usual puppy dog face. 

“Baby?” Meredith shrieked from beside them. “You’re pregnant?” she asked Jo. 

“You didn’t know?” Alex was wide eyed. 

“No, she didn’t. I wasn’t exactly screaming it from the rooftops, since, you know, we’re getting divorced,” Jo pursed her lips. 

“That’s why you went to Kansas,” Meredith finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. “You’re carrying his child…” 

“I’m sorry, Jo! Really! I thought she knew about the baby,” Alex looked riddled with guilt. 

“I’m going to let you guys be,” Meredith made a quick escape for the door, offering Jo a warm smile on her way out. 

“I really am sorry,” Alex ran his hand through his hair stressfully. 

“It’s fine,” Jo reassured him, “she was going to find out eventually.” 

“I’m sorry about the other day too,” Alex sat down on the bunk bed across from where Jo was standing. “When I first laid eyes on that ultrasound, the excitement, the love, the joy that rushed over me, was completely and utterly overwhelming. That’s the reason I was acting so giddy when we spoke in the tunnels. I know it’s not the best of circumstances and trust me when I say that if I could go back in time and never write that letter then I would. But this baby, oh Jo, this baby is still everything I want in life and more, despite what’s going on. Eli and Alexis are perfect, they’re my children, and I still very much plan to be in their lives when and where I can. But this baby, our child, was made with love and passion and affection. We made this baby together, and I want to raise this baby together because I, Alex Karev, am head over heels in love with you.” 

“You can’t just say that and expect me to forgive you. You can’t send me divorce papers in the mail and then waltz back into my life a couple of months later,” Jo wiped away at the tears flooding down her face. 

“You don’t need to be ready to forgive me yet, take your time. But I’m all in, Jo, I’m moving back to Seattle and I’m not leaving ever again. Not without you. You’re not the ‘let’s get a dog girl’, you’re the love of my entire life and we’re going to have a baby.” 

“You, Alex Karev, are a piece of work!” Jo huffed, storming out once again, leaving behind a very shocked and confused Alex. 

  
  


*******

Jo left work that evening feeling guilty about the way she’d ended her conversation with Alex. His words had gotten to her; they were everything she wanted to hear but also everything she hadn’t counted on hearing. She had half expected him to just shove a custody schedule in her face and then skip on back to Kansas to play happy families with Izzie. But that’s not what he wanted. Alex had been presented with a choice, Izzie or Jo, and he had picked her. 

She couldn’t be with him again, not yet, she wasn’t ready. But, at the same time, she also wasn’t ready to lose him completely. Jo needed to make amends with Alex. 

“Hey mommy-to-be,” an amused Meredith answered her door. 

“Very funny,” Jo stared back, unimpressed. “Is Alex here?” 

“Jo?” Alex stood on the stairs behind Meredith. “You’re here…” 

“Yeah, um, I think we should talk. Can I come in?” 

“Sure, of course, come in!” Alex smiled widely, leading Jo upstairs to the guest bedroom where he’d been staying. 

The first thing she noticed was her ultrasound photo framed on his bedside table, directly beside the wedding photo she’d given him as a gift on his first day as chief. The second thing she noticed was the piles of boxes stacked in a tower in the corner of the room, the same boxes she’d packed herself just a month or so earlier. He had already shipped his belongings back out to Seattle. He really was coming home. 

“Is that my ultrasound?” Jo questioned. 

“Oh that,” Alex turned around to pick up the photograph, “yeah. I framed it the second I first saw it. I guess you can say the little sucker already has me wrapped around their finger.” 

“You really are excited about this baby…” Jo’s hands dropped to her stomach, feeling the slight swell that had come in just days before. 

“Are you kidding?” Alex moved to stand opposite Jo. “I’m over the moon!” 

“I guess that’s reassuring,” Jo giggled nervously. 

“When I say I’m all in, Jo, I mean it. I’m all in.” 

“Give me your hand,” Jo reached out, bringing Alex’s hand to her stomach. 

“Holy shit,” he beamed. “When did that appear?” 

“A couple of days ago, but it still sort of looks like I’ve eaten a big pizza,” she placed her hand on top of his. 

“Well, it’s the best pizza I’ll ever see.” 

Jo sighed, stepping away to distance herself from Alex again. “I love you-” 

“I love you too-” Alex interrupted. 

“No, listen. I love you, but I also hate you. I hate what you put me through, and I hate the predicament that you’re putting me in now. I can’t stand here and pretend that I don’t want to be with you, that’s why we got married, you moron! But I’m also not ready to forgive you. We can’t be together.” 

“That’s okay, Jo. I understand. I promise, though, Seattle is my home. It’s where I will always come back to, by your side and by our baby’s side.” 

“We’re having a baby,” Jo announced excitedly. 

“I can’t wait,” Alex grinned his signature wonky smile. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @mac-andcheeses


	3. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Jo cope with their new and complicated life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd like to formally apologise for the 8000 words of complete ramble and nonsense that this fic has become. i blame the 2am posting schedule. anyways here's part three

Jo’s life had been a whirlwind since the moment the stick turned pink, the day she realised she was going to be a mother. It didn’t matter that Alex was gone, that he’d left her, because all she cared about in those first few minutes was the life growing inside her. Nothing else mattered in the world. Jo Wilson was going to have a baby and she was damn excited about it. 

Alex’s return had thrown a spanner in the works. Sure, it was reassuring to know that she wasn’t going to be raising her child alone, that he was going to be there for her every step of the way. But, despite all that, things had been chaotic to say the least. He wanted to be involved; Alex wanted to be a hands on dad. He’d attended every doctor's appointment, gone shopping for baby clothes, and even helped Jo pick out a car seat and a stroller. And he deserved to do all of that, Jo knew that, and yet a part of her also wished that he wasn’t around so much. 

It was no secret that she was still in love with him. She knew it, and he knew it, everyone who worked at the hospital knew it. There was nobody else in the world who made her feel the way he did; safe, respected, admired, loved. But, no matter how much Jo wanted to be with Alex again, she couldn’t. She couldn’t because she hated him, and having him around all the time only solidified that. All Jo wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before the trial. She wanted to laugh with him again and to fall asleep in his embrace. However, every single second that they were together, the pain of his betrayal only made her doubt all that love. 

“Can’t sleep?” Alex’s voice echoed off the walls around Jo, stirring her out of her thoughts. She was laying with her back to the door, tracing her finger along the cracked paint on the wall. 

She’d collapsed onto the on-call bed just an hour beforehand, exhausted and frustrated at the world. Not a single surgery had gone to plan all morning and, on top of all of that, her and Alex had argued during their OB appointment. The fight was over something stupid and unnecessary but it had really made her blood boil. Alex had requested extra ultrasound copies for him to take back to Eli and Alexis in Kansas, a keepsake for them to look at and get used to the idea of a new sibling. He’d already told Jo that he was planning on staying, that he was going to live permanently in Seattle again, and whilst she wanted so badly to believe him, a part of her was also nervous that he’d look his children in the eye again and not be able to leave. Alex had every right to want to show the twins pictures of the baby, and yet, Jo couldn’t help but feel like her own baby was being forgotten in the process. It was ridiculous actually, she was feeling threatened by two six year olds. 

“Jo?” Alex voiced again, moving to sit beside her on the mattress. “Would you like me to drive you home?” 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she grumbled, face still turned away. 

“I’m sorry about what happened with the tech. I didn’t realise you were uncomfortable with Eli and Alexis knowing about the pregnancy,” he spoke, guilt laced within his words. 

“It’s not like that,” she shifted on the creaky bed to look up at Alex, “it’s just hard for me not to imagine a scenario where I have this baby and then you disappear back to Kansas to be with the twins, leaving me all alone again. Or worse, you take my child with you.”

Alex stared down at Jo in shock, stunned by her concerns. He had no idea she was feeling this way. “Oh Jo…” he stammered, “I meant what I said before. I’m all in.” 

“I’ve heard that before,” she scoffed angrily, yet the tears welling in her eyes showed her true vulnerability. 

“I want to be a dad. I know things aren’t picture perfect, and our idea of the future has changed a lot this past year, but I intend to be a dad to all three of my children. I can’t say for sure how things are going to work out, still I know I’m going to be doing it all from Seattle,” he attempted to calm her worries. “Izzie is moving back.” 

“What?” Jo did a double take, confused by Alex’s sudden announcement. “She’s moving to Seattle?” 

“Yes,” he nodded. “She 's been working part-time here for the past month now and it made her realise that she wanted to live closer to her mom. So, with me already having moved out here, she didn’t see any reason why she should stay in Kansas. She’s taken a job at a private clinic about an hour away from here, a quiet area a lot further out from the city. I think she’s already bought a plot of land out there to build a house on.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jo blinked away the tears in her eyes. 

“She only told me this morning,” he explained. “I think she was waiting until everything was finalised so that I didn’t get my hopes up, but Jo, there’s not going to be anything left for me in Kansas to go back to. We’ve already decided to stick to our current custody agreement, so Eli and Alexis will just go back and forth between our place and Izzie’s place. I’m not leaving.” 

“Your place,” Jo corrected. 

“What?” 

“You said that the twins would be living at our place, but what you meant to say was your place. We don’t live together Alex, not anymore.” 

“Oh,” he frowned as he realised his mistake. “Look,” he added with a sigh, “I came to say sorry. Because I am, okay, I’m sorry. I never want to make you feel like second best.” 

“I’m just a bit irritable these days,” Jo smiled sheepishly. “But I’m still mad at you so can you leave?” 

“Come on, you can’t seriously be mad at me for wanting pictures of my child,” he defended. 

“I’m not mad at you because of that,” Jo rolled her eyes back at him, “I’m mad at you because said child won’t stop moving and I’m trying to sleep.” 

“Shift to the edge of the bed,” Alex said matter of factly. 

“Excuse me?” Jo glared furiously, quick to get angry at his unsympathetic tone.

“Just do it, will you?” he whined, climbing into the bed to lay beside Jo and wrap his hand around her growing abdomen. “He always calms down for me.” 

“She,” Jo whispered, already feeling her body relax against his touch, her child's movements slowing down also. “It’s a girl.” 

“Don’t listen to her,” Alex patted Jo’s stomach, making sure the baby knew he was talking to them, “I know what you are, little man.” 

  
  


***

  
  


“What have we got?” Jo eyed the nervous intern standing in front of the curtained ER cubicle. “You paged me, remember?” she snapped when the younger surgeon took too long to respond. At almost five months pregnant, she was starting to lose patience for just about anything and everybody. 

“I paged Doctor Alex Karev,” the intern mumbled, “not you.” 

Jo groaned outwardly, visibly annoyed by the communication issue. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, or even the second, the new batch of interns were useless at using their pagers. She was close to filing the divorce papers herself just so that she could finally change her name back to Wilson in the system. But, of course, Alex still hadn’t gotten onto it and was also refusing to hand them back over to her. He was determined to get her back before the baby was born, often trying to convince her to go house hunting with him. An intern mixing up their names at work wasn’t really a big deal in the scheme of things, but it sure as hell was annoying. 

“Well, you’ve got me instead. Now tell me what’s behind this curtain,” Jo stared wide eyed at the scared intern, waiting for him to get her up to date on the case.

“Six year old male, deep laceration between the thumb and the index finger on the right hand, requires stitches,” the intern handed Jo the patient files. 

“You’re not my daddy,” a small voice interrupted the exchange, a child Jo recognised immediately as little Alexis Karev standing by the curtain. 

“Her mother was asking for the other doctor Karev-” the intern started to explain, but was quickly cut off by Jo. 

“I understand, and I’ve got it from here. Thank you,” she dismissed them, keeping her eyes glued to the blonde girl staring up at her. “You’re right, I’m not your daddy,” she smiled warmly at Alexis, “but I am a friend of your dads.” 

“Really,” she perked up happily, comforted by the fact that Jo knew Alex. “We’re here because my brother was hurt-” 

“Lex!” an older carbon copy of the child appeared. 

“Fine, we’re here because I hurt him,” Alexis admitted to Jo. “But it was Eli’s fault.” 

“Go sit back down, please,” Izzie ordered the girl before turning her attention to Jo. “Oh wow,” she paused, shocked. “Sorry I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just, you’re Alex’s wife.” 

“Soon to be ex-wife,” Jo corrected, smiling awkwardly. “I can page another doctor for your son.” 

“Eli is excited to meet you,” Izzie changed the topic, her eyes dropping to Jo’s swollen midsection, “and to meet his new sibling. You look amazing, by the way, you’re glowing.” 

“Thanks…” she looked down at her phone, avoiding eye contact with Izzie as she typed a message out to Alex. It was strange for Jo to stand with her, to know that she was the woman her husband dropped everything for. “I’ve texted Alex to come down here but let me get somebody else in the meantime.” 

“No! Don’t page anybody else, please,” Izzie pleaded. “It’s just a few stitches and so I’m sure you’re more than capable of doing it. I’d rather you did it than any of these useless residents,” she gestured across the room at the sea of light blue scrubs. 

“Okay,” Jo nodded hesitantly, “sure.” She had been thinking about how and when she was going to meet the twins since the day Alex first told her they were moving back to Seattle all those weeks before. However, none of the scenarios in her head had ever gone like this. This was completely, and utterly, not the plan. 

“Hey buddy,” she greeted Eli, pushing the curtain back to reveal the second carbon copy sitting upright in the hospital bed. Only this time, unlike his sister who had taken on her mother’s characteristics, he was the spitting image of Alex. “I’m going to make your hand feel lots better for you.” 

“Lex said that you knew my dad,” the boy spoke quietly. “Is he coming?” 

Jo shook her head, pulling up a chair to sit beside him and examine the wound. “Your dad is busy right now fixing another little kid who really needs his help. But I’ve told him that you’re here so he should be here later, okay? Right now you’re stuck with me instead,” she teased. 

A few stray tears and a celebratory chocolate bar later and Eli’s stitches were complete. It astounded Jo how much he was like his father, down to the face he made when he was trying to hide the fact that he was in pain. Too proud to let on, but clearly quite bothered, his cute little face screwed up until tiny wrinkles appeared on his forehead. She was sure that her baby was going to be a girl, despite what Alex said, but she wouldn’t be opposed to a little boy just like Eli. Alexis was wonderful, having spent the whole time chatting away on Izzie’s lap, but she was clearly her mother’s daughter. Eli, on the other hand, she could clearly envision her own child growing up to become. 

“Are you having a baby?” the young boy asked softly. He was shyer than his sister, slow to warm up to strangers, but she knew from Alex that he was actually the loudest of the two once you got to know them. 

Jo was taken back by Eli’s observation, not having expected either child to notice her small baby bump, or know what it meant at least. “I am,” she grinned, her hand falling to meet a strong kick, as if her child knew they were being spoken about.

“My dad is going to have another baby,” Alexis chimed in, moving from her spot on Izzie’s knee to hoist herself up onto the bed next to her brother. “And now that we’ve moved schools and houses and we live closer to grandma, we’re going to get to live with daddy and the new baby sometimes.” 

“Is that right?” Jo beamed, delighted at the twins genuine excitement. “I just know that you’re both going to be a wonderful big brother and sister to your new sibling.” 

“They sure are,” Alex stood arms crossed at the foot of the bed. 

“Daddy!” Both kids yelled in unison, cheerful grins spread from cheek to cheek. 

“Hey kiddos,” he pulled up a chair next to Jo, “I heard that the bravest little boy in the world was here.” 

“He was very brave,” Jo confirmed, “and Alexis did a very good job at distracting him as well.” 

“Hmm, I bet,” he laughed. “Hey Iz,” Alex extended his arm to shake hers, which she kindly accepted. 

“Doctor Jo is having a baby like you are,” Alexis moved to the edge of the bed, swinging her feet back and forth. 

Jo hadn’t told them about her relationship with Alex because she didn’t feel it was her place. And, based on Izzie’s silence, it was clear that she was also not comfortable breaking the news to them. However, as Alex reached over to take her hand in his, she knew he wanted to tell them. 

“I know,” Alex looked between Eli and Alexis, smiling warmly at both of them. “Guess what?” he paused, waiting until he knew they were full paying attention. “Do you remember when I was telling you about what my life was like before I met you? I told you that I was married to a really amazing woman-” 

“A princess,” Alexis interrupted. 

“Yes, she’s like a princess,” Alex squeezed Jo’s hand a little tighter. 

Eli shifted forward, intrigued, but still hid slightly behind his sister. “Definitely not like an evil stepmother…” 

“No,” Alex chuckled, “nothing at all like an evil stepmother. I told you about her because she is somebody very special to me, she is one of my very best friends. Izzie is your mommy, and you will see her just as much as always, but every now and then you might also see daddy’s friend because she’s the new baby’s mommy.” 

“We know all this,” the mini Izzie rolled her eyes at her dad. “When can we meet her?” 

“Well…” Alex looked at Jo with a smile, waiting for her to give the nod to continue. “You already have. Doctor Jo is the friend I was telling you about. She’s who I was living with before I met the two of you.” 

“So, your baby is our baby?” Alexis quizzed Jo, shocking her with her immediate recognition of the baby child as her own. 

“That’s right,” Jo watched Alex for any indication of what else to say, but he was too busy watching her instead. “How do you feel about that?” 

“Hmmm,” Eli grabbed his chin playfully to pull a silly thinking face, “you’re very nice...and nothing like the evil parents in Lex’s fairytale movies...so I think it’s cool.” 

“You’re pretty,” Alexis added, her focus already pulled away from the initial conversation. 

  
  


***

  
  


It was only seven o’clock in the morning when a loud banging against the loft door stirred Jo out of her slumber. She knew it was Alex from the moment the first knock shocked her awake, there was nobody else in the world who announced their presence as obnoxiously as he did. The real question was, why was he there? She texted him updates almost hourly, and she’d fallen asleep over video chat with him the night before, so there was no reason for him to turn up so suddenly.

“Hold your fucking horses before you break the door down,” she winced as she threw the duvet off herself and the cold air hit her skin. “I’m coming!” 

It was no surprise to see Alex standing there when she slid the door open, but it was unexpected to see the twins standing either side. Both looking as awake and energetic as ever, Jo was very much dreading Alex’s next words. She loved both of them more than she knew was possible, and she was really enjoying getting to know them. Eli’s initial shyness was now completely in the past, the goofiness he’d inherited from Alex very much shining through instead. Alexis was fast to warm up to her, smiling and giggling that day at the hospital before she even knew who Jo was. Still, she had come out of her shell a lot too. However, it was almost as if she’d become more quiet and tender as time went on, showing her more vulnerable side to Jo. She absolutely loved to lie her head on top of Jo’s growing stomach, tracing her finger among the spots where the baby moved. Alexis, like Jo, was insistent that the baby was going to be a girl. 

“You said a bad word,” Eli teased, having caught onto Jo’s last yells across the loft. 

“What’s up, Alex?” Jo ignored the young child, not in the mood to argue with a six year old for the tenth day in a row. It was insane how much time she had been spending with them since they’d first met, and whilst she was grateful for all of it, she was also looking forward to having some time on her own for a change. 

“I know it’s last minute, but I have an emergency surgery and nobody else is available. Can you please watch them for a couple of hours?” Alex asked, already in the process of pushing Eli and Alexis into the loft before waiting for permission. “I’ll buy you a pint of whatever ice-cream you like.” 

“Make that five pints and you have yourself a deal,” Jo agreed reluctantly.

“Can we have ice cream?” Eli asked mischievously once his dad was out of sight, Jo caving and giving the boy his request almost straight away. She couldn’t deny that icecream for breakfast wasn't exactly what she needed right then anyway. 

Time flew by extremely fast, and suddenly, the sun had set over Seattle. Jo can’t remember exactly what time she crawled into bed, or at what point in the afternoon the two kids joined her under the duvet, but when Alex’s voice boomed through the loft once again she was laying with both Eli and Alexis cuddled against her. 

“What time is it?” she croaked, struggling to see the clock on the bedside table over Eli’s messy hair. “Did we sleep all afternoon?” 

“You haven’t answered a single text since three o’clock, so I would say yes, yes you did,” Alex tried to appear mad, knowing he was going to be dealing with two very hyper kids all night, but the sight of Jo hugged so closely to his kids made his heart melt. Alexis was in her usual position, squeezed up as close to Jo’s stomach as she could possibly get. And Eli, well he was sleeping with his arm wrapped around Jo’s arm, his face nuzzled closely into the knitted sweater she had on. 

“I’m sorry, Alex…” Jo pushed herself up slowly, trying not to wake either child too abruptly. 

“Ah-hum,” he shook his head with a sigh, walking over to the freezer to stock it up with the five pints of icecream he had promised. “Are you taking them all night then? You know, when they have all the energy in the world?” 

“Consider it payback for the constant fatigue and brain fog that this child of yours is giving me,” she gestured to her bump which was still covered partly by the small girl. 

“Well played,” he laughed. 

For the first time in forever, things were actually starting to feel like things were going back to the way they were before. The feelings they had for one another, the built up emotions, felt more like they had whilst they were together. It wasn’t anger anymore, or conflict of any kind, it was just a genuine love and appreciation for one another. He didn’t want to get a divorce, and she knew that, the problem was convincing her that she didn’t want a divorce either. 

  
  


***

  
  


“You missed the turning,” Jo looked at Alex weirdly, not understanding how he could have possibly forgotten the way back to the loft. He had offered to drive her home from work, something he had been doing most days recently, but he was definitely acting more strange than usual. 

“We’re not going to the loft,” Alex dismissed her concerns. “Just wait, all will become clear with time.” 

And it did, as soon as he pulled up their destination, she knew exactly what was happening. Alex had bought a house, and it was perfect. Close enough to where Meredith lived that they could walk back and forth easily, further enough away from the central city to avoid the loud noises, but also with a quick commute to the hospital. The front yard was gorgeous; colourful flower beds surrounding the fenced in area, marble steps leading up the middle to the front door, lots of room for somewhere to sit along the porch overlooking the grass. It was the perfect family home. 

“Trust me,” he wrapped his arm around her waist, guiding her slowly up the driveaway. “Just hear me out.” 

She didn’t know what to do or what to say. Jo was in shock. The day she’d gone to see Alex at Meredith’s house she’d told him that they couldn’t be together, that she still loved him but that she needed more time to forgive him. If she was being completely honest, she’d forgiven him the moment she’d met the twins for the first time. The love she had for them, the joy they brought her, was enough for her to understand why Alex did what he did. And yet, her stubbornness took over. Jo was too proud to go running back into his arms so quickly, not before putting up a bit of a fight first. 

It took everything she had not to burst out crying as he took her on a tour of the house, mapping out where each child would sleep and what each room would be used for. Not because she was sad, far from it actually, but because there was no doubt in her mind that this was her and Alex’s forever home. This is how things were meant to be for them. It was overwhelming. However, not as overwhelming as when she’d stepped foot into the back garden for the first time. 

  
Standing directly across from Jo, side by side under a large tree lit by stringed fairy lights, were Eli and Alexis. Both just as excited as the other to see her appear in the doorframe, they screamed her name cheerfully. In fact, they were so happy that it took Jo a few seconds to realise what they were holding up above their heads. Stretching their arms out as far as their little bodies allowed them to, the twins held a sign up in clear view for her to see. A sign she recognised vividly. A sign she had written herself over four years ago. A sign that read  **‘Homecoming’.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tumblr: @mac-andcheeses

**Author's Note:**

> My Tumblr: @mac-andcheeses


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